Flood situation continues to be grim in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: The situation in flood-ravaged Namsai and East Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh continued to be grim on Tuesday even as water level of several rivers in other affected areas showed a receding trend with an improvement in weather condition.

The flood situation at Namsai, the worst-affected district, worsened with reports of fresh areas being inundated by Noa Dehing, Tengapani and Jengthu rivers, which were flowing above the danger mark.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in Assam is critical, reported The Hindu, with the waters of the Brahmaputra River and its tributaries submerging houses and agricultural fields of 12.5 lakh people in 18 districts, besides inundating the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Hindu report added that an adult male rhino drowned in the KNP and its carcass was recovered.

Heavy rains and floods have killed at least seven people and forced around 1.2 million to leave their water-logged homes in Assam. The Army on Tuesday used boats to rescue thousands of people stranded on the roofs of their homes and moved them to safer areas.

Most of the roads in Arunachal Pradesh have been severely damaged and and several areas were cut off due to washing away of culverts. Supply of electricity was snapped as electric poles were uprooted by soil erosion in Lekang circle.

Movement of vehicles on NH-52 has been suspended due to flood water which has weakened two culverts.

Around 3,500 hectares of agriculture field, 115 fish ponds were totally submerged and damaged by flood water in the district. 250 cattle, 400 pigs, 200 goats and 2,000 poultry birds have died or washed away, an official report from Namsai said.

3,500 houses were completely damaged and the residential areas were still inundated.

In the past three days, deputy chief minister Chowna Mein and Namsai MLA Chau Zingnu Namchoom have visited the flood-affected areas of the district and took stock of the situation.

The district administration, with the help of NDRF and CRPF, has intensified relief operation and rescued around 260 people.

A total of 28 relief camps accommodating around 6,000 inmates, mostly in Lekang circle, were operational.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister, who visited flood-hit areas of Changlang district on Monday, assured the affected of all possible help from the state government.

Terming flood as major problem which hits Diyun area in Changlang every year, Mein suggested plugging of river in the lower banks to avert its recurrence.According to a report from East Siang district, the flood situation continued to remain grim in Pasighat.

The week-long rains have also left a trail of devastation in Lohit district, even as the rivers namely Asapani, Sukha,Denning, Tezu Khola and Dhura have started receding after improvement in weather condition since Monday.

The Dhura river had caused damage to roads and entered part of Changliang village, which still remained cut-off.

The complete diversion of the Dhura river after entering the village also damaged culverts and NH-13.

"The state government will try its level best to bring permanent solution to the recurring flood in Diyun area caused by overflowing of Noa Dehing river," said the deputy chief minister and directed the executive engineer of the Water Resources Development to submit a detailed report and estimates to the government immediately for a durable flood protection measures.

Earlier in the day, local MLA Nikh Kamin informed Mein that river erosion has rendered about 200 families landless while about 1,000 people were affected by flood in the area.